Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Athletes and High-School Students

Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Athletes and High-School Students

Often referred to as a growing epidemic and yet oddly defined by most as an underrated problem by our societal standards is the issue of alcoholism in teenagers; a problem which has been developing again in the core of our youth. It is an old and ancient issue which has once again started gaining popularity among young crowds, as from the age of the Romans when alcohol was first introduced to mankind, so too with it came the foolish decisions that come with an intoxicated thought process. Out of numerous samples tested by a few prominent universities around the United States, it was found that in some instances, entire classes of students would report over 50% of them consume alcohol somewhat regularly. Below are a few situations which have been taken from actual case files, to be presented with a possible solution via available testing and knowledge, the purpose of this is to give those unfrequented with them a proper set of tools to engage this possible problem as it surfaces. It should be noted beforehand that all the methods of testing being presented are approved by the Federal Drug Administration or "FDA." These drugtests include urine dipstrips, hair follicle testing to be sent to a laboratory, breathalysers for on-the-spot alcohol testing, and instant saliva tests.

A high-school athlete is brought home by the police and is given a charge of public intoxication as well as assault and possession of marijuana due to actions caused by him being inebriated. He alleges this only happened once, that he never drank before this and that the marijuana was just being held for a friend. Some children, a very small fraction, may not be lying in this situation, however it is a parents responsibility to at the very least make a proactive choice to at some point randomly test their child for substance abuse. Administering a hair or saliva test is as simple a five minute task as can be, getting a proper sample, and in the case of saliva, testing it on the spot, or sending hair results to a laboratory to get a detailed 3-month prognosis on anything and everything a teenager may have engaged in.

While saliva testing has been proven to be less reliable than most would like, there is also the most common and proven option of using urine-analysis to see whether or not substance abuse may be an issue. Often called urine dip-strips, these tests employ an often multi-paneled cartridge which is then dipped into a sample to test for any illicit substance that may be present in it. Within traditionally five minutes, a very clear read should be present on the test ascertaining whether or not substance abuse is positive or negative in the sample.

It should further be noted that when testing for alcohol in saliva or urine, the sample will only stay active for 72 hours, so it's a good idea for a parent who may be concerned about a child abusing drugs to test them after an engagement where alcohol would likely be consumed, a party for instance. Marijuana on the other hand if abused regularly can be in the system for up to 30 days, however it should be noted both substances can be flushed faster if someone knows beforehand of an upcoming test. For infrequent users, marijuana will normally only stay in the system for 3-5 days.

Another method of advanced testing for alcohol involves purchasing the same devices now being used by most police department in sobriety field-testing. Often called a breathalyzer, these hand-held devices enable someone to simply blow lightly into an opening to have the air itself gauged and tested for any traces of alcohol, and measuring the exact blood to alcohol content. While pricey, they enable a parent who may have an extremely problematic child a chance to have him tested regularly, without needing to go through the hassle of collecting samples and testing them each and every single time.

Ultimately it is on whoever decides to pursuit these forms of testing to figure out which is the best for them and why, however it should be noted that urine dipstrips are the most cost-effective format for deterring drug abuse, while hair follicle testing is the most thorough and costly. Breathalysers are also extremely costly, however they have a long lifespan in terms of how many extremely accurate uses it has.

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